Candy Floss and Dark Chocolate
by E.G. Potter
Summary: When Tonks and Remus each catch a whiff of Amortentia, something begins to register in their minds. Where have they smelled those scents before and why are the so enraptured with each other? Written for HollyWrites' Love Potion Challenge over on the HPCF. Hiatus until further notice.
1. Meetings, Social and Otherwise

Chapter One - Meetings, Social and Otherwise

_Summer, 1995_

"Here, Moony, everything we can get rid of goes in this pile, all right?"

It was the first night at Headquarters. Remus Lupin was quite glad to have a settled place to stay where he could be around friends and still have a safe place to transform. He was helping Sirius Black clean out the basement kitchen of his home. He levitated a chair with one leg over to the designated discard pile and sneezed as a cloud of dust overtook him.

"Oy, what was that for?" He asked his best mate. He turned around to see Sirius coated from head to toe in gray dust, coughing in a valiant attempt to expel the nastiness from his lungs.

He wiped his eyes. "Cleaning charm on the curtains bloody backfired."

Almost without fail, Molly Weasley bellowed, "Sirius Black! Watch your language!" from somewhere inside the house.

Remus almost had to stuff his sleeve in his mouth to keep from laughing. At least Headquarters would never be short of entertainment.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, he and Sirius had finished with the kitchen and were taking a break with a couple of Butterbeers when there was a loud crash from the front hall. Both wizards put their drinks down and pulled their wands, heading for the source of the crash. There was a woman with bright pink hair laying face down on the rug with the odious umbrella stand lying beside her.<p>

"'salright, it's just me," the woman muttered, pushing herself up.

Sirius began to laugh and lowered his wand. "I'll never understand how you passed your Auror exams." He extended a hand to help her up, "Hello, Tonks."

"Wotcher, Sirius. I almost failed Stealth and Tracking, cousin dear. I only passed because my examiner was asleep and didn't notice my tripping over him." The woman replied, taking Sirius' hand and dusting off her robes as she stood. "Oh, hello," she said to Remus, having just noticed him. "I don't think we've met."

He chuckled to himself, the girl was quite charming. "No, I don't think we have." He extended a hand, "Remus Lupin."

She grasped it warmly, smiling. "Nymphadora Tonks. But call me Tonks, I can't stand my first name. I love my mother but I don't think I'll ever understand her." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I don't think anyone in our family can give a child a normal name."

"You're related to Sirius?" Remus questioned.

"Second cousins, or first cousins twice removed, I don't know how you'd phrase it. In short, yes." She blushed at her rambling.

"Then you're right, no one can give a child a normal name. Must be a Black family curse," Remus laughed again. He liked the girl's spunk, even if she was a bit clumsy.

"Oy, I resent that Moony!" Sirius protested as the group moved back to the kitchen.

"Resent it you may, Padfoot, but you can't deny that it's true," Remus moved to the cabinet to get Tonks a Butterbeer. She accepted it gladly.

Sirius grumbled but subsided as a flustered Molly entered the kitchen area. "Is everything alright, dears? I heard a crash!"

Tonks laid her head down on the table, her hair turning from bubblegum pink to fire engine red. "I tripped over the umbrella stand," she muttered into the scrubbed wood table.

"Oh," Molly smiled a little. "Hello, Tonks. It's a wonder you didn't wake the portrait of Sirius' mother."

Remus and Sirius shared a somewhat frightened look at the thought of waking Walburga Black's screaming likeness. "Avoid her at all costs," Sirius told his cousin.

Tonks, her hair back to normal, looked at him. "How is it that you and Mum are the only _normal _people in this family?"

Everyone laughed when she realized her error in including herself in the insane portion of the Blacks.

* * *

><p><em>I can't believe I tripped over that bloody thing. Actually, I can. <em>Tonks hit the heel of her hand to her forehead. _Way to make an impression on the man, Nymphadora. _Use of her first name with herself was restricted to times of great annoyance, such as this.

_It's not like I have a real reason to be embarrassed, I mean, he's friends with Sirius for Merlin's sake! _ Sirius and Remus had filled in her on a few of their Hogwarts stories over dinner. It had just been the three of them, and Molly and Arthur, as they were all living at Headquarters now and the Weasley children were still at school for another day. Molly had shown her to her room and said, "You may have to do a little cleaning, we tried to get everything but with men helping… There's no telling what will happen." The women had shared a smile before Molly left to clean up the kitchen from dinner.

_And now I'm alone with my thoughts, a trunk full of personal items and a somewhat dusty room. Lovely. _As she worked on putting her clothes away and cleaned up a few minor cobwebs, her mind floated back to the topic of Remus.

_No. _She told herself firmly. _You're going to be living here and working with him. That is all. No sissy, falling in love business. _She stopped. _Did I just say love? _She groaned aloud, banging her head gently against her wardrobe. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she chanted.

"I know you are but what am I?" a voice said.

Tonks jumped and pulled her wand, wheeling around to the doorway of her room. Sirius leaned against the doorframe, hands up in surrender. "What are you thinking?" Tonks demanded. "I'm fresh out of Auror training! You're lucky I didn't Stun you!"

Sirius chuckled, lowering his hands. "Never surprise Aurors. They will threaten you," he pretended to make a note on his hand. "Especially Nymphadora."

She picked up a pair of socks from her trunk and flung them at him. "Prat. What do you want, anyway?"

He threw the socks back. "Headmaster's here. First meeting's in about ten minutes, in the kitchen."

Her mouth went dry. "Oh, alright."

Sirius closed the door behind him as he left.

_Do I really know what I'm getting myself into?_

* * *

><p>Three days later, Remus was wandering down one of the many hallways of Grimmauld Place looking for Sirius when he discovered Molly sorting through potion bottles in a cluttered room on the third floor. He knocked gently on the door frame so as not to startle the older woman. She turned around and smiled at him, picking up another bottle and setting to one side.<p>

"Hello, Remus dear," she said.

"Hullo, Molly. Might I inquire as to what you're doing?" Remus crossed the room to stand beside her.

She gestured to the potion bottles, "Just sorting. I found them in what's now Tonks' room and thought I might as well go through them. I'm not leaving them around for Fred and George to find. Merlin knows that would be a nightmare!" She laughed.

Remus smiled at the thought of the pranksters finding a box of assorted potions and what trouble would assuredly ensue. "Find anything interesting?"

"Actually, yes," she picked up a small, squat bottle with a golden stopper at the top. The liquid inside had a faint mother-of-pearl sheen to it. She held it out to Remus. "Recognize it?"

"Is that Amortentia?" He asked, remembering a long ago Potions lesson with Horace Slughorn.

"Right you are," she smiled at him and unstoppered the container, inhaling deeply. "It's old and weak, I doubt it would do anything to you were you to drink it, but it still has the smell." She smiled to herself, probably thinking of Arthur.

Remus accepted the proffered bottle from her and sniffed warily. He smelled the light scent of candy floss followed by the warm scent of vanilla. He caught a whiff of a third flavor that he eventually identified as cinnamon. He handed the bottle back to Molly. "I think I've changed since my sixth year at Hogwarts."

"Why's that, dear?" She put the stopper back in the Amortentia and set it on the opposite side of her table, away from the other potions.

"I actually smelled something just now. Then, I never did," his tone was gently perplexed.

Molly gave him a motherly smile. "You're older now, Remus. Of course you've changed." She turned back to her work, Vanishing a nasty green potion out of a tall bottle.

_I know I smelled candy floss recently and I know it wasn't at a shop, _Remus thought to himself as he wandered out of the room. He almost ran smack into Tonks.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, startled. "Wotcher, Remus."

He laughed to himself. "Afternoon, Tonks. Have you seen your reprobate of a cousin around lately?"

"I think he's up with the hippogriff, what's his name again?" Remus noticed that her hair was blue today and smelled a faint whiff of a sweet perfume.

"Buckbeak. That explains why I couldn't find him earlier. Many thanks, m'lady," he gave a slight bow. She curtsied, inclining her head to him.

He began to walk toward the stairs as she headed off into the room he has just left when he paused. "Tonks?"

"Yes?" She turned around to face him.

"May I ask why your hair changed colors?"

* * *

><p>Tonks laughed a little at the man with one foot on the bottom stair, his own gray-brown hair falling into his dark blue eyes. "Oh, I'm a Metamorphmagus."<p>

He smiled at her, "That explains it then. Good day, Nymphadora." He turned and walked up the stairs quickly.

She barely had time to register that he had used her first name when Molly Weasley walked out of the door in front of her. "Oh! Wotcher, Molly."

"Hello Tonks, love," the Weasley matriarch said. She held a potion bottle filled with a silvery liquid in her hand.

"What's that?" The younger woman inquired.

Molly removed the stopper from the bottle, "An old vial of Amortentia. It's too weak to really cause any side effects; I was just taking it to show Arthur." She offered the potion to Tonks. "Do you know much about love potions?"

"No, I don't," Tonks said, taking the Amortentia from her. She inhaled, breathing in the scent of soap, freshly dug earth and dark chocolate. The last scent niggled something in Tonks' brain, but she pushed it aside to deal with later.

Molly smiled as she accepted the potion from her, a twinkle in her eye. "It smells differently to everyone, according to what attracts them." She put the golden stopper back in place. "I could tell you stories about this potion that would surprise even you."

Tonks and Molly spent the whole rest of the afternoon in deep discussion about Molly's teenage years and stories of love potions.

* * *

><p>(AN: Wow. Haha. I had intended on this being a one-shot, buuuut... It wanted to be a fully fledged story instead! :D Hooray! Haha. This is for a challenge over on the HPCF. I've never written Remus/Tonks before, so please, let me know what you think. I thrive on your feedback! :) Virtual cake to all reviewers!)


	2. Nighttime Encounters

Chapter Two - Nighttime Encounters

Remus sighed, easing his sore body onto the old mattress. He ached all over, still recovering from the full moon two nights previous. He winced as his left foot hit a long cut on his other leg. The wolf in him had been unusually unruly this past transformation. He had yet to figure out why. He noticed the deep scratches in his bedroom door and turned his face to the window to avoid looking at them. He laughed to himself as he remembered Nymphadora's face when he and Sirius had told her about his 'furry little problem.' Her eyes had widened and her mouth had dropped, but she quickly recovered with her usual rapier wit. "Well, I guess when you get really old you won't have to worry about going bald." They had laughed and she had accepted his lycanthropy with her elegant grace. After having lived at Headquarters for a month, they had become good friends and Sirius was often the butt of their jokes.

It seemed as though he had just fallen asleep when he woke up to a thud and a crash following by a deep voice, swearing loudly, and what sounded like a banshee screaming. He grabbed his wand of the bed side table and flung his bedcovers off, gingerly but quickly getting up. He, along with everyone else on the third floor hallway, ran down to the first floor where they found Sirius laying on the ground, a plate of food spilled on the rug beside him, and Kreacher the house elf trying to soothe the screaming portrait of Sirius' mother. Upon reaching the scene, everyone stopped and looked at each other, rather perplexed. Arthur Weasley was the first to recover. "What on Earth happened here?"

It was only then that Sirius noticed all the adults of the house staring at him. "Oh. Hello all. Um. Well, you see, I wanted a snack." At this, everyone sniggered. Remus sighed. _My best mate, the bottomless pit. _

Sirius stood up and brushed off his dressing gown. He appeared to have landed, buttocks first, in his plate of mashed potatoes and shepherds' pie. He groaned as he realized this but continued his narrative. "I had just left the kitchen when I heard something talking, so I pulled my wand out and lit it. I looked at Kreacher and the bloody elf looked at me and we both just started screaming, Merlin knows why, but then that set Mum's portrait off and then, I don't really know what happened. He must have blasted me with some accidental magic or I must have tripped over something because the next thing I knew, I was sitting in my food."

Arthur looked at Molly who shook her head and looked at Remus. Remus sighed and looked around for Nymphadora but couldn't find her. He dismissed the thought and shot Padfoot a sympathetic look. Molly took care of Sirius and the food while Arthur and Remus wrestled with the portrait. Just as they were all about to go to bed, Nymphadora wandered down the stairs, stifling a rather large yawn. Maybe it was the lateness of the hour or the tiredness in his system, but Remus could feel his eyes widening as he took in her appearance. She had on very short pajama shorts and a tight spaghetti strap tank top. Overall, the outfit accentuated her thin, curvy body in a way that wizard's robes did not. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, in the hopes of regaining his normal, gentlemanly composure.

"What's going on down here?" The nymph-like girl said, running a hand through her pink locks.

"I startled the house-elf," Sirius said to his cousin, somewhat annoyed. "Or rather, it startled me."

Nymphadora laughed, her smile causing a little bubble of hope to rise in Remus' heart. _Go away, _he told it. _She's too young for you anyway. _

Part of him subsided while another persisted. _Too young or not, look at that body. _

_Shut up!_

"Remus?" A cool voice broke through his thoughts.

He shook his head and looked up into Nymphadora's dark brown eyes. His breath caught in his throat. "What?" He coughed. "Oh, sorry. I must be more tired than I thought."

She smiled at him. "Escort me back to my room, dear sir?"

He offered her his arm, "Gladly, madam."

They made their way up the stairs in tandem, talking quietly. As they mounted the stairs to the second floor, Nymphadora looked over at him. "I take it you had a rough night the other night?" She indicated the scratches on his forearms and bare chest.

He grimaced, "A bit more so than usual. I don't know why either."

She frowned slightly, "I'm sorry. That must be awful."

"You get used to it," he sighed. He looked over at her and smiled. "You learn to live with it."

"I can imagine," she said. She smiled at him in return. "You just let me know if you ever need help patching yourself back together. Healing was my second career choice."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

><p>A few moment later, Remus stopped in front of her bedroom door at the end of the second floor. "I believe this is your stop, m'lady." His smile was just enough to melt her heart.<p>

Tonks was about to respond when Sirius shoved past them, a quick apology muttered out of the corner of his mouth. All of the sudden, she found herself pushed up against her bedroom door with Remus' bare chest in front of her face. She could smell his musky, earthy scent and felt her heart rate increase, blood pounding in her ears. _Oh, sweet bloody Merlin in polka-dotted pajamas._

She felt her elbow hit the doorknob to her room and felt the door give way under their combined weight and the next thing she knew she was lying flat on her back with a large man, to whom she was very much attracted, lying on top of her, both of them in their scant sleepwear. _You have GOT to be kidding me._

Remus hastily moved to stand up, wincing in the process and apologizing profusely all the while. "I'm so sorry, Nymphadora. I hope I didn't hurt you." He hissed through his teeth, grabbing at his back as he stood.

Tonks was glad that her room was quite dark for she knew she was blushing quite profusely. "No, Remus, it's quite all right. It's my own clumsy fault, anyway. Leave it to my elbow to find the door handle." She stood up on her own, declining his outstretched hand. "Are you okay, though? "

He nodded, a grimace upon his face.

"I don't think you could hurt me if you tried, anyway," she continued. "I survived three years of Auror training under Mad Eye. I think I can handle being flattened by you." As soon as the phrase left her mouth, she realized how bad it all sounded. She clapped her hands to her mouth in embarrassment.

Remus laughed. "I think we're all a little tired around here. Get some sleep, Nymphadora. I'll see you in the morning. "

She sighed, allowing a small smile. "Good night, Remus. And remember, call me Tonks."

"I'll remember that," he said and closed the door behind him as he left, leaving her standing there, wishing he hadn't gone.

* * *

><p>Remus sighed as he settled himself back into bed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get her curves out of his head nor could he forget the feeling of her body against his.<p>

_All right, I have a problem, _he admitted to himself. _A problem by the name of Nymphadora Tonks and my attraction to her. _

* * *

><p>(AN: Yay! Chapter two! :D I know it's shorter than the last one but I think it's served its purpose quite well. :) Your reviews make my day so please, keep them coming! I love you all!)_  
><em>


	3. The Ugly Duckling Dreams

Chapter Three – The Ugly Duckling Dreams

Remus woke with a start. Only this time, as opposed to a few nights ago, it was to a single bloodcurdling scream from the room below. Without thinking, he grabbed his wand and leapt out of his bed, shooting Silencers at the Weasley's and Sirius' rooms so that they wouldn't wake to what he knew was Nymphadora screaming. He arrived on the second floor landing and found her door ajar, pushing it aside as he entered.

"_Lumos,_" He lit his wand. "Nymphadora?"

The girl in question looked up at him, her hair a mousy brown color, with tears running down her face. She blinked in the wandlight and Remus quickly lowered it. She was sitting straight up on her bed, hands clenching her bedclothes. He could tell that her skin was drenched with sweat. Her breathing came in short bouts. "Are you all right?"

"Hell no, Remus. I wake up, screaming bloody murder and you have the nerve to ask me if I'm alright?" She let go of her covers to cross her arms.

Remus sighed. That hadn't been what he'd intended to ask. "I meant, are you okay now that you're awake?"

She laughed a little and looked herself over, as though taking a personal inventory. "Legs, check. Arse, check. Stomach, almost emptied but check. Arms, hands, head, check. Yes, I seem to be okay." She laughed. "My mental health is another question though." She pulled her legs under her, indicating a spot for Remus to sit down.

He crossed the room and sat lightly at the foot of her bed, wishing he had grabbed a shirt in his hasty exit. He noticed that she seemed to wear the same type of clothing to bed every night and almost had a difficult time wrenching his eyes away from her figure. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked lightly as he shot a quick charm at the fireplace to generate some light.

Nymphadora laughed humorlessly. "I guess you could call it that." She wiped the tears away from her face. Remus conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. She accepted it with a nod. "It was awful."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He pressed lightly. "It's always been easier to overcome nightmares when you discuss them with someone, at least for me anyway."

She nodded but looked hesitant, biting her lip.

_That just makes me want to kiss her all the more. _"I understand if you don't though. I never wanted to when I was younger." He laughed a little at the memories from his childhood. "Do you want to hear a story?"

She nodded, looking a little more relaxed now. If he could help her in any way, he was happy. He didn't want to see her frightened.

"All right, well, I was bitten when I was just a lad. My father and I had gone camping in our backyard one night; it was a Muggle pastime that he adored. We had just put the fire out and had lain down to go to sleep. My father fell asleep immediately, or almost so, because I remember hearing his snoring. I had just rolled onto my side when I heard our tent ripping. I looked up and all I saw were these mad eyes and a crazy, hairy face." Remus closed his eyes, remembering the night quite vividly. "The next thing I knew, my father was screaming, yelling and cursing, trying to find his wand. No sooner had he done so than did I feel this searing pain in my shoulder and my left calf muscle. Then I passed out." He looked up at Nymphadora, blue eyes meeting brown. She looked sad and sorry for him.

He continued. "I woke up two days later in the 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn Ward for Serious Bites at St. Mungo's. My mum was sitting in a chair beside my bed while my father paced in front of it. They were both so relieved that I had woken up. They told me that they loved me and then explained that I had been bitten by Fenrir Greyback. They explained what would happen on full moon nights and that my wounds would never completely heal due to their cursed nature." He indicated a semi-circle depression on his right shoulder. "This is the first bite, the one on my leg is worse though."

Nymphadora sighed. "That's so awful, Remus. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, I was just getting to the good part," he smiled at her. "Don't ruin the story."

She clasped both of her hands over her mouth.

He smiled as he continued his tale. "Well, as you can probably expect, as a young child, I had nightmares about the night I was bitten. Every time, I would wake up screaming. My mother and father were both quick to respond though, and always told me that they loved me and that I was okay. It took me a while but I was eventually able to tell my mother about my dreams. How the wolf was always chasing me and how I was always running but that he caught me in the end. She would hold me and sing to me and tell me that they were just ugly duckling dreams." He remembered the warmth of his mother's arms, the sweet scent of her perfume and her soft voice as she washed away his fears.

"Ugly duckling dreams?" Nymphadora asked, intrigued. "What does that mean?"

"The story of the ugly duckling is a Muggle fairytale of sorts, like the stories of the Bard to wizarding children. It's about this ugly little duck that grows up into a beautiful swan. But that's beside the point. She called them that because she told me that no matter what physical imperfections or fears that I had, I could always overcome them and become a better person than my circumstances called me to be. She said that my dreams might be bad, but that I could learn from them and become something wonderful, like the duckling in the story."

Nymphadora had a smile on her face as he finished his story. "That's so sweet. I would have loved to have met your mother."

"She was a wonderful woman," Remus sighed. "But anyway, did that help?"

The girl in front of him nodded. "I think I'm ready to talk about it, if you'll listen."

He agreed and she patted the bed next to her. He scooted up beside her so that they could both recline on the pillows.

"It starts out and I'm at the Ministry, just doing my work. Then all of the sudden, there's this loud explosion and I find myself in the Atrium. There are Death Eaters everywhere. My mother's sister Bellatrix has her lying on the floor, writhing under the Cruciatus Curse just like the Longbottoms. Across the room is Lucius Malfoy, standing over Sirius' dead body, laughing. You can hardly tell that it's Sirius though, because I think Greyback must have gotten to him. Then, I see my dad, dead and bloodied beyond recognition, parts of him just.. missing. And through the whole thing, I can't find my wand so I can't do a bloody thing about it and then, they all turn on me. That's when I woke up." She shivered, her voice shaking by the end.

Remus put an arm around her. She leaned onto his shoulder and just began to cry again.

"Why did I ever get involved with this bloody war, Remus? Why do there have to be people like that who get joy out of others' pain? Why?" Sobs wracked the poor girl's body as she collapsed onto Remus in a crying fit.

He moved one hand soothingly across her back. "I wish I had an answer for you. I wish I could tell you that everything will be all right, but I can't. This isn't my first war. I've seen what it does to people. People you love, your friends, die. And you wonder how you can go on with the storm cloud of fear looming over you. But you have to; you have to keep going for them. The harder you fight, the more we can do. The harder we all fight, the less Harry and his friends have to do. Because this war isn't just ours anymore, Nymphadora, it's theirs too."

She looked up at him. "Was that supposed to help?"

He laughed, a little taken aback. "That was my intent, yes. Did it?"

"Yes and no."

He chuckled at her as she sat up, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, bugger. I didn't mean to cry all over you, I'm sorry, Remus," she apologized, running a hand through her hair.

He smiled at her. "It's all right. I'm here whenever you need an imperfect shoulder to cry on." She laughed. "May I ask you something?" He said to her.

She nodded, yawning.

"Why is your hair brown tonight?"

"Oh, that." She laughed a little. "That happens inadvertently when my magic gets a shock to its system. I guess the nightmare was enough to do it because it was purple when I went to bed. It'll be okay in the next day or two."

They stayed awake talking about nothing for a little while longer until Nymphadora yawned loudly. _She's so cute when she does that._

Remus yawned too. "Are you okay to stay by yourself now or do you want me to stay?"

"Well," she looked torn. "I really don't want to stay by myself."

"Then I'll stay," Remus said, picking up his wand from the nightstand where he had put it earlier. He began to think very hard about a comfortable kip bed.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Nymphadora asked him.

He lowered his wand. "I was going to conjure myself a cot."

"No, no, no. Then it'll be just like you went back to your own room. You stay in this bed, with me," her brown eyes implored him.

He sighed, but decided not to fight her since they were both quite tired. "Which side of the bed do you want then?"

They chose their sides and settled in, each of them yawning.

"Good night, Remus. Thank you for coming to my rescue." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"You're welcome," he said, inhaling deeply. He smelled a light vanilla scent, which must have been her perfume. Something about it made him feel comfortable and at ease. "Sleep well, Nymphadora."

"It's Tonks," she corrected quickly. "And you too."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sirius was awake before anyone else in the house. He went to Remus' room to see if he could scare him but Remus wasn't there. He dismissed it and then decided to drop in on his little cousin. He was quite surprised to see Tonks cuddled on Remus' chest and to see Remus awake, watching her sleep. Remus looked over at him as he entered the room and threw him a quick Marauder hand sign with his free hand. 'Will discuss later,' Sirius interpreted as he left the room, closing the door behind him.<p>

_I can't wait to hear this. 'Will discuss later,' indeed. _

* * *

><p>(AN: Another chapter! I wasn't going to write tonight but I read a chapter of an HHr fic that just inspired me. :D Another two thousand words knocked out. By this point, it's 3:12 AM and my beta has gone to bed. I'm posting this and then going there too. Haha. Oh, and if I haven't personally thanked you for reviewing, I meant to but just forgot. Thank you! Your reviews are the fuel to my writing fire. Keep them coming!)_  
><em>


	4. Hectic Days and Troublesome News

Chapter Four – Hectic Days and Troublesome News

Tonks woke up feeling quite content with herself. She was warm and comfortable and had slept as though someone had given her a Dreamless Sleep potion. In general, it had been the best night's sleep in a very long time. As she came more aware of her surroundings though, she understood why. Her head was nestled on a man's naked, scarred chest, his arm around her while her hand rested on his stomach. He smelled earthy and sweet, with a warm, clean undertone. All in all, she really didn't want to move from where she was. Her memories from the previous night came flooding back to her as though fired from a cannon. _Nightmare, screaming, Remus, not alone. Right. I woke Remus up because I had a nightmare and was screaming bloody murder. He told me a story about becoming a werewolf and his mother and then stayed with me. Oy. _

She moved her hand across Remus' stomach, trying to notice how glorious it felt under her fingers. She yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Remus laughed. Maybe it was due to the early hour or the fact that she had her ear pressed against his chest, but his voice sounded deeper than normal. His laugh shook her whole body.

Tonks giggled a little. "What?"

"It's a Muggle fairytale. Never mind," he said as she sat up and stretched. "Did you sleep well?" He inquired.

She arched her back, stretching even more, trying to hide the inevitable blush. "Yes, actually. Quite well. Yourself?"

He smiled to himself, as though he, and only he, was the audience of a wonderfully corny joke. "Wonderfully."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm glad." Suddenly, a realization hit her. "Oh, Merlin. What time is it?" She dove for the bedside table where she kept her watch at night, hitting her knee on Remus' leg and falling flat on her back on the floor. "Bugger. That's embarrassing." She could feel her face heating up while Remus just sat on the bed, silently laughing at her clumsiness.

"Laugh all you want, Mr. Lupin, but I think I'm late for work," Tons said, standing up and grabbing her watch. She had ten minutes, which, with magic, was doable. She grabbed her wand and Summoned a pair of clean Auror's robes from her closet and then Apparated to the second floor bathroom to change and brush her hair and teeth. Remus was sitting open-mouthed on the bed when she Apparated back into the room for her shoes. She looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing , nothing," he held up his hands in surrender. "I've just never seen a woman get ready so fast."

She stuck her tongue out at him and then screwed up her face in concentration, her hair popping from elbow-length mousy brown to chin-length bubblegum pink. "Does that look better?"

"It looked fine the way it was, Nymphadora." Remus told her, swinging his legs out of the bed.

She checked her watch again. 7:57. "Bugger. Gotta go, bye Remus!" She turned on her heel and Apparated to the Ministry without another word.

* * *

><p>Remus was left just staring at the spot Nymphadora had just vanished from. He shook his head to clear out all the thoughts he'd had in the past seven minutes and tried to focus on sorting out what had happened that morning.<p>

_Item: Slept in the same bed with a woman to whom I am extremely attracted to. _

_Item: Nothing besides some 'cuddling' happened. _

_Item: Sirius walked in on us during aforementioned 'cuddling.'_

_Item: He is my best friend. _

_Item: She is his cousin._

_Item: He is going to take the mickey out of me for this. _

Remus leaned back, hard, and sighed. His head thudded against the wall and he decided that he had better go back to his own room. He grabbed his wand and turned, concentrating on his room one floor up.

After a brief moment of being compressed in the time space continuum, Remus found himself looking at his own closed and scratched door. Walking over to the bureau, he grabbed some clothes and a towel so that he could go take a shower. Upon opening his door, he found Sirius leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Moony," he said, examining his wand and not looking up.

"Hullo, Padfoot," Remus said, somewhat startled.

"How'd you sleep?" Sirius tried to be nonchalant. It wasn't his best quality.

_This man needs to learn the art of subtly. _"Quite well, thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go shower."

"Oy, Moony, she's my cousin! Don't tell me these things!" As usual, Sirius had taken what Remus had said completely out of context and now had his hands over his ears like a petulant child.

Remus, deciding he was not in the mood for this kind of behavior and interrogation, Apparated to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Tonks was sorting papers. She hated sorting papers. Had she wanted to sort papers, then she would have gone into secretarial work. She stood up and grabbed a sheet of papers, heading down the hall to take a few Auror reports to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. As she was passing the Improper Use of Magic department, she overheard two women arguing. Tonks positioned herself to where she had a good view and could hear.<p>

"Now, Mafalda, why on Earth would there have been dementors in Little Whinging, Surrey?" The shorter of the two was saying. Her voice was awful, saccharine and irritating all at the same time. She wore pink robes with velvet bow nestled in her mop of mousy brown curls. She was very round and almost toad-like, Tonks thought, and very squishy looking. She was quite squat and altogether, not attractive.

The other witch, Mafalda, contrasted with the plump woman entirely. She was thin and had her graying hair pulled back tightly in a French twist, her outfit very professional. She held a sheaf of papers, the topmost having a red stamp on it along with a boy's picture. "The fact remains, Madam Undersecretary, that Mr. Potter found it necessary to perform a Patronus Charm!" Her voice was hushed, but Tonks could still hear her perfectly.

The squat witch, whom Tonks had finally recognized as Delores Umbridge bristled and cleared her throat. "_Hem hem ._I'm afraid that we shall just have to agree to disagree, now won't we Madam Hopkirk? You did send him his letter of expulsion, yes? That notified him of his trial?"

That was all Tonks needed to hear. She hurried down the rest of the hallway to the small office Arthur Weasley shared with his partner. "Arthur!" She slapped the reports down on his desk. He looked up at her abrupt appearance.

"Hello, Tonks. What on Earth is the matter?" He looked confused and tired, even though she was sure that he hadn't heard her screaming last night.

"Is it true, then? Did Harry really…?" Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to discuss too much Order business in public.

Arthur nodded curtly. "Yes, expect it to be discussed tonight after dinner. Molly's making chops with all the works; you'll be there, won't you?" Discussion of coming to dinner in public with other Order members was their way of saying that there would be a meeting that night, and a very important one at that.

She nodded, smiling. "Of course, cousin." This was also a part of their cover, Tonks claiming to be closer related to the Weasley family than she really was.

Tonight's meeting was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>Remus sighed as he stepped out of the kitchen fireplace at Headquarters. He hated the days he had monitoring duty at the Department of Mysteries. It seemed to just wear him out. He laid Mad Eye's Invisibility Cloak on the table, avoiding the frenzy of knives Molly, Ginny and Hermione had flying around the kitchen in order to fix dinner.<p>

Hermione smiled at him as he passed her. "Professor, you look exhausted."

He laughed a little. "Blame it on the lycanthropy, Hermione. And how many times have I told you that I'm not your professor anymore?" He gave her his best professor glare.

She sighed, but laughed. "Yes…Remus."

"That's better." He told her, sitting down at the table. He leaned his head back and sighed, tiredness washing over him again. "Have we heard anything new, Molly?"

The older witch pressed her lips together as she tapped a mound of potatoes with the end of her wand. "Actually, yes." The potatoes flew to the sink where they were washed and peeled, made a stop at the cutting board where Hermione was directing a hoard of knives for chopping. Then, the pieces zoomed over to the pan Ginny had just filled with water and set on the stove. Remus was a bit amused by the entire process.

"There's going to be a meeting tonight," Molly continued, oblivious to the potatoes.

Just as Remus opened his mouth to ask why, Sirius burst into the room. "Moony!" He called. "Ol' buddy, ol' pal, I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Funny," Remus said as Sirius approached him. "I've been avoiding you everywhere."

The women laughed.

"In all 'Sirius'-ness, Moony," Sirius made a pun on his own name, evident by the clumsy air quotes around it, "We need to have a little talk."

Remus groaned, but stood and followed his fellow Marauder upstairs to the room that held Sirius' family tree. He flopped down on the loveseat in a very uncharacteristic manner for him. "What, Padfoot?"

Sirius crossed his arms and began pacing in front of Remus' chosen piece of furniture. "I was just curious as to why I walked into my little cousin's room this morning and saw not only her, but you as well, in her bed, looking quite cozy, I might add."

"Nothing happened, if that's what you're implying, Padfoot," Remus said, a bit tersely.

Sirius fixed him with a look. "Then why were you sleeping in her bed? With her still in it?"

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on. "Did you hear a scream last night after we all had gone to bed?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Well, I did. It was Tonks. She'd had a nightmare about Death Eaters getting her family."

Sirius' face drained of color. "Oh."

'_Oh' indeed, Padfoot. This is what happens when you pry. _"I threw a Silencer on everyone else's doors and went down to see what the problem was. We talked about it but she was still scared and didn't want to be left alone. I was going to conjure a kip bed but she wouldn't have it, no matter how hard I argued."

Sirius looked down, biting his lip and appearing quite embarrassed. "I feel like a total tosser now."

"It's alright, Padfoot. We all do some days." Remus smiled at his best friend and stood up, making his way for the kitchen again. He was just passing the fireplace when something, or rather, someone flew out of it, feet first, and knocked him to the ground.

He heard Molly and the girls gasp, and then Ginny started laughing. He looked up to see who had slid into him. "Wotcher, Remus."

He laughed, disentangling his feet from Nymphadora's. He stood and offered her a hand up. "Do you always make flashy entrances like that?"

She blushed a little. "I try not to, when I can. But sometimes, I just can't help myself."

Remus smiled at her joke, his eyes lingering on her a little longer than normal. Why was he so drawn to her?

"If everyone will sit down," Molly called to the general kitchen and dining area. "Dinner is ready!"

Remus looked around and realized that most of the Order was at Headquarters for dinner, including Dumbledore. A Molly Weasley meal was definitely something to gather around.

After everything had been eaten and the dishes taken care of, the children were ushered out of the room, and the meeting began.

Albus Dumbledore stood at the head of the long wooden table. "I'm afraid I have some disturbing news."

Everyone looked at each other. Nymphadora bit her lip and looked down while Arthur looked weary.

Albus continued. "Yesterday, 2nd August, around 9 PM, Harry Potter and his cousin Dudley Dursley were attacked by two Dementors in Little Whinging, Surrey."

Remus felt his stomach drop. But he himself had taught Harry how to handle Dementors, surely the boys were okay.

"Both boys are physically fine, though, Harry, having excellently performed the Patronus Charm, was apparently been expelled from my school by the Ministry of Magic. However, upon learning this, I owled Cornelius myself and now Harry is simply suspended, pending a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry in ten days' time."

The room was filled with tension, Remus felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. Harry suspended, pending a disciplinary hearing?

"We need to get him here by the end of the week."

The rest of the meeting was spent making plans to ensure Harry's safe arrival at Grimmauld Place.

* * *

><p>(AN: And you thought I fell off the face of the Earth. Nope. Sorry, you're stuck with me. Nah, this chapter was difficult to write. I have no clue why. I'm sorry it took me three days. And now, it is 4:44 AM and I have a church event in thirteen hours. Sleep might be a good thing at this point. Give me enough reviews and I'll see what I can do about getting you another chapter before I leave for San Antonio.

Today's review topic: What's been your favorite part of this story so far?

I love you all!

EGP.)


	5. Nothing Turning Into Something

Chapter Five - Nothing Turning Into Something

Tonks was quite comfortable where she was and was highly intent on not moving until absolutely necessary. She, Remus and a few other members of the Order had gone and gotten Harry from his aunt and uncle's house two nights previous and ever since, she had been involved in pointless raids at the office. Despite their pointlessness, they still kept her busy and running around, resulting in her beyond tired state of mind.

She had fallen asleep, face pressed into her hands, and was snoring lightly when Remus walked in to her room. He laughed lightly at the tableau of her on her stomach, robes in disarray. His laughter was enough to wake her up and she sat upright with a start. "Who's there?"

She knew that she looked a fright and was consequently embarrassed when she saw that it was Remus who had woke her up. She wiped a small trail of drool from the corner of her mouth. "Wotcher, Remus."

He laughed again. "Tired, are we?"

"A little," she yawned, pulling off her topmost layer of robes so that she could get more comfortable. "Did you need something?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really, I was just curious as to your thoughts on Harry's trial."

"Oh," Tonks crossed her legs to make room for Remus on the bed. "I don't think it's right of them to try him like that, or suspend him for that matter!"

He nodded. "I don't understand what's going on at the Ministry these days. No offense to you."

"None taken."

"But I just don't see why underage magic, even if it is Harry, requires such a trial," Remus sighed, closing his eyes. He lay back on the bed, right in front of Tonks. He didn't notice her devilish smile until it was too late.

She poised above him, hands at the ready, and waited for him to open his eyes. When he did, she attacked, tickling his sides like a madwoman.

"That's not playing fair!" Remus said, grabbing the thin witch around her waist and pinning her to the bed. He began to retaliate mercilessly.

"You want to talk about fair, Remus Lupin?" She said, grabbing a pillow from the head of the bed and whacking him with it. "You have no room to talk!" Her laughter turned into uncontrollable giggles as he tickled her under her neck.

Once she smacked him with the pillow, all hell broke loose and they were chasing each other around the room, shooting off Tickling Jinxes and hitting each other with pillows in turn.

* * *

><p>Eventually, Sirius stuck his head in to see just what was causing so much noise in his cousin's bedroom. "What in the name of Merlin is going on in here?<p>

He opened the door to see Tonks jumping on her bed, wand in one hand, pillow in the other, apparently at the mercy of Remus who had just whacked her knees with his own feather cushion. The two adults looked at each other and tried to explain amidst the flurry of falling feathers.

"Well, you see, Padfoot –" Remus began.

"He was bothering me, Sirius," said Tonks, blushing.

Then Remus turned on her, "I was bothering you, was I?" He took another shot at her with his pillow. "Bothering you, eh?" He got up on the bed and tackled her to its surface. He began tickling her by hand again. "This – is – what – you –get – for – lying," he laughed.

Sirius watched the scene in utter befuddlement. Were his cousin and best mate flirting? What was going on? Wasn't there a war beginning? He chuckled to himself when Tonks whopped Remus hard on the head with her pillow, throwing him off of her and onto the floor. He began to laugh when Remus started chasing his cousin around the room with his own pillow, wand forgotten on the bed. One by one, members of the Order were curious as to why Sirius was standing at Tonks' bedroom door laughing manically and eventually, Sirius was joined by Molly, Arthur, Alastor Moody, and the Weasley twins, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry.

After a few moment of the audience watching without the knowledge of the two participants of the pillow fight, Arthur cleared his throat. Remus stopped in the middle of blocking Tonks' latest blow and was hit full-on in the face by her weapon. He then fell from the bed and, getting his ankle caught in the sheets, inadvertently pulled Tonks down with him. She landed sideways across his stomach, exhaling quickly as the impact knocked the breath out of her.

* * *

><p>Remus looked up from where he had hit the floor. "Um. Hello."<p>

The audience all waved.

He could see Ginny and Hermione both stifling giggles at the sight of their former professor involved in a pillow fight with someone so close to their age. Arthur had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders, both of them smiling. Harry kept looking at his godfather, utterly perplexed, while Ron stood gawking. Sirius had a smug look on his face and Remus knew that another talk was in the near future. Fred and George were carefully avoiding looking at each other for they knew that if they did, they'd burst out laughing. The most amusing look was that of Alastor Moody. The wizened Auror looked confused, yet highly amused. Slowly, he began to chuckle, a sound that Remus found to be unnatural coming from the man. His laughter, it seemed, was contagious and eventually, everyone was laughing.

Everyone, that was, except for Tonks. Remus looked down at her face which was slowly turning a violent shade of red. She disentangled herself from Remus and grabbed her wand, slamming the door shut in everyone's faces.

"Are you okay?" Remus stood up and brushed feathers off of his shabby robes.

Tonks sat down moodily on the bed. "Maybe."

"You either are or you aren't," Remus said, "there is no maybe about it."

"Well," her smile turned devilish once again. "Maybe I just wanted them all to leave so that I could do this."

Before Remus knew it, she was kissing him. It was tender, her lips pressing gently to his. He closed his eyes and kissed her back, passionately. She wound her hands into his graying hair, pulling his face closer to hers. Remus twisted one hand into her bubblegum pink locks while the other curved around her waist, pressing the small of her back to bring her body closer to his. Responding to his reaction, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip, causing him to shiver. He fought back just as intensely and deepened the kiss by working his tongue between her lips, finding it a willing entryway. After a few moments of getting to know each other better in that vein, they broke apart, both panting for air.

Remus was the first to speak, "Wow."

Nymphadora nodded.

He cleared his throat. "That was.."

She nodded again. "Uh-huh."

Remus moved as though to hug her, but she stood up, her eyes widening.

"I shouldn't have done that," she whispered. "That was so wrong of me to do!"

"No, Nymphadora!" Remus said quietly but desperately.

"I have to go, Remus," she turned on her heel and was gone with a soft pop, leaving Remus sitting on the bed, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

><p>(AN: I really wasn't expecting to get this out tonight. I apologize if it seems a little rushed. It's really just a filler. I needed that kiss to happen. :) Teehehe.

So, let me know what you think. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Oh, and if anyone has suggestions for any cute Remus/Tonks moments, I'd love to hear them. Haha. Anyway. It's late and I need sleep. Sigh. Toodles!

Reviews make understanding Tonks' sudden disappearance sooner!)


	6. Confidants and Choices

Chapter Six – Confidants and Choices

Tonks laid her head down on the table with a thud. It had been two weeks since she and Remus had kissed and she'd barely been at Headquarters in those two weeks, by her own design. Yes, she'd been avoiding Remus. When they had kissed, it had felt so perfect. Like something inside of her had clicked. She'd smelled the scent of fresh earth, soap and dark chocolate on his skin, just as clear as she had when Molly had shown her the Amortentia.

"Dora?" Andromeda Tonks' voice cut through her thoughts. Tonks lifted her head up to look at her mother.

"Hi, Mum," she said, fidgeting with the cuff of her sleeve.

Andromeda sat down by her daughter, rubbing her back. "Poppet, what's the matter? You've been moping around here for the past two weeks."

Tonks sighed. She knew she couldn't hide from the situation forever. "Well, there's this man…"

"A man? Oh, Dora," Andromeda gushed. It wasn't very often that her daughter dated. She had been a bit tomboyish during her childhood and early teen years. She had been on a couple of dates during her last year at Hogwarts and when she was in Auror training, but none of them had ever amounted to anything.

Tonks laughed at her mother's eagerness, thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't anything like Molly. With her dark hair and eyes, she looked like her sister Bellatrix. But then she smiled and you knew the difference. Andromeda was sweet and caring, always taking care of everyone else before herself. "Yes, Mum, a man. He's so sweet and caring and he would do anything for anyone. And Mum, he's so handsome. He's got these blue eyes and they just look right into your soul, like he's reading me perfectly. And…"

Andromeda looked at her daughter curiously. "And what, love?"

"And… We kissed the other day," Tonks blushed.

Andromeda had a difficult time not laughing. "Is there something wrong with that, Dora?"

Tonks laughed a little. "Well.. Not really. But he lives at Headquarters and he's really close friends with Sirius…"

"Oh, Dora," her mother said. "You kissed Remus, didn't you?"

Tonks gasped. "How'd you guess that? I never said his name!"

Andromeda laughed. "My dear, you forget that Sirius and his friends were second years when I was a seventh year. Seeing as James Potter is dead and we know Peter Pettigrew isn't in the Order, it only leaves Remus. Don't you know that mothers know everything?"

Tonks stuck her tongue out at her mother. "It was an amazing kiss though. I felt… whole."

"Then why have you been hiding out here for the past two weeks?" Andromeda asked the girl.

"Because," Tonks sat back in her chair, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not good enough for him. I'm clumsy and I can never say the right thing. I can't even walk in a straight line without falling!"

"There's more though, isn't there?" Andromeda prodded, knowing her daughter well.

Tonks nodded. "I'm… afraid. I'm afraid he won't love me." A singled tear rolled down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away.

"Why wouldn't he love you?" Andromeda wrapped her arms around her daughter. She'd never seen her so distraught.

"I'm so young, Mum! He probably thinks I'm too flighty and I'm nowhere near pretty enough for him!"

"Dora, Dora!" Andromeda cut off her rant, pulling her crying daughter into her arms. "If those are reasons why he doesn't love you, then maybe you shouldn't love him. I don't think that Remus Lupin of all people is that shallow."

Tonks sniffled.

"You know what I think?" The medi-witch asked.

"What's that?"

"I think you're scared of how you feel for him. You've never been in love and your first experience with it just happens to be at the beginning of a war." Andromeda said knowingly. She kissed her daughter's head as she heard the front door swing open.

Tonks sighed, hugging her mother. "I love you, Mum. Thank you for everything."

"I love you too, Nymph-girl." Andromeda hugged her back.

Just then, Ted Tonks walked into the kitchen, holding a large bag of take away food, oblivious to the female bonding scene he had just interrupted. "Who wants curry?"

* * *

><p>Remus laid down the novel he'd been reading and sighed. He couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was kissing Nymphadora. Her lips had molded to his perfectly, making blood rush through his veins. Her perfect body pressed to his, her every contour lining up with his body with ease. He could remember with faultless precision the way her lithe fingers had knotted themselves in his hair. The way she smelled so flawlessly like candy floss, vanilla and cinnamon…<p>

Suddenly, a realization hit him like the Knight Bus. The sweetness of candy floss, the warmth of vanilla, the bite of cinnamon… Amortentia. That's why he was so drawn to her. She was his ideal match. She was what attracted him; he knew that without a doubt. Her smooth curves, the heart shaped face, her big, innocent eyes; her laugh made him smile and her clumsiness was endearing.

"Moony?" Sirius' voice broke Remus out of his reverie.

"Padfoot," he greeted his best friend. "Did you need something?"

Sirius shook his head. "I was just wondering if you'd seen Tonks."

"I haven't seen your cousin in two weeks, Padfoot. You know that," Remus sighed.

Sirius sat down beside him on the couch. "Moony, I don't know what happened between the two of you or what has caused her to avoid Headquarters like it's full of dragon pox but still, you've got to stop moping around here like you have been. It's not healthy nor does it help Harry. You know his trial is tomorrow."

"I know, Padfoot, I know. I just… I shouldn't even have gotten my hopes up about Nymphadora. I'm a werewolf, for Merlin's sake! That kiss was just an accident and it shouldn't have happened." Remus slumped back against the couch.

"Wait one second. You kissed her?" Sirius said, his gray eyes boring into Remus' blue ones.

Remus sighed. "Yes, we kissed. That day you all saw us having a pillow fight. She just kissed me and then freaked out and left."

Sirius just shook his head. "I dunno, mate. Girls are strange like that."

"It doesn't matter though," Remus said, Summoning two butterbeers from the kitchen. They landed with a soft clink against the table.

"And why not?" Sirius opened his butterbeer, taking a large gulp.

Remus opened his own bottle and took a drink. "Well, let's see, I'm too old for her, I'm a werewolf and her becoming in any way romantically involved with me would make her a social outcast! I can't do that to her, Padfoot."

"Remus," Sirius said, "I doubt she'll care."

"Well, I do. And that's that. I can't become involved with her." Remus drained the rest of the butterbeer and sat the bottle back on the table.

Suddenly, there was a gush of female affection down in the kitchen, followed by thunderous footsteps on the stairs leading to the living room. Nymphadora Tonks in all her pink haired glory stood at the mouth of the stairs, looking as adorable as ever.

"Wotcher, Sirius, Remus!" She said with a bright smile.

Remus sighed. Things had just gotten more complicated.

* * *

><p>(AN: Yeah, you better love me. I should be working on my government class. I only have like twenty days left and I'll be at camp for six days next week. You should leave me some love and encourage me to get my class work done before I leave. Then when I get home, I'll be able to write up a storm for you, ym loyal readers. :D

Oh, go check out the poll on my profile and vote vote vote! I want to know what you want.

So, let me know what you like best so far and all that jazz.

Reviews make things awkward at Grimmauld Place!)


	7. Curses of Stupidity

Chapter Seven – Curses of Stupidity

"It's nice to see you, Tonksie-poo," Sirius said, moving forward to hug her. "It's been much too calm without you falling over every five seconds." He laughed.

Tonks shoved him away from her, feigning disgust. "Is that all I'm good for, then? Entertainment value?"

Sirius shrugged; Remus avoided looking at her.

"I wouldn't say that's all you're good for," Sirius began, looking at his friend over his shoulder.

Remus picked up the novel that was lying on the coffee table next to two empty Butterbeer bottles. "Padfoot," he said, resignedly.

"Yes, Moony?"

"Do you like your anatomy arranged in its current location?" His hand drifted causally toward his wand.

Sirius' Adams apple bobbed nervously. "I would prefer it to stay where it's at, yeah. Why d'you ask?"

_Ever the cheeky one, my cousin, _Tonks thought to herself, idly wondering why Remus was ignoring her.

Remus opened the book in his hands, "In that case, Mr. Padfoot, Mr. Moony would suggest that you keep your unnaturally large mouth shut."

Sirius glowered at Remus, "My mouth is not unnaturally large!" He shut it nonetheless. He Vanished the Butterbeer bottles and headed for the stairs, leaving Tonks alone with Remus, who was now, apparently, entirely engrossed in his book.

Warring with herself for a few minutes, Tonks weighed the option of speaking to him. _I can say something and have him blow me off and then go have a good cry about it, _she thought acerbically, _or you can say nothing at all and just go right back to your room and ignore that the past month or so has happened. _

She bit her lip. Couldn't there be a mix of the two?

Summoning up all of the non-existent courage that she wished she had, she spoke: "How have you been?"

Her voice sounded all wrong, meek and unsure, almost cracking in one place.

He didn't look up. "Fine, thank you."

Biting her lip, Tonks made her way up the stairs, willing the tears to go away, just at least until she got to her room. Flopping on her bed, she sighed. _If he wants to be that way, then fine! Damn him and his perfect kisses, anyway. _

Rolling over, she knew she really didn't want to damn Remus Lupin, or his kisses. She pulled a pillow to her chest and cried.

* * *

><p>It killed him to ignore her.<p>

It killed him to be short with her.

And it most definitely killed him to watch her bite her lip and walk up the stairs when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes, especially since he was to blame for them.

He hit himself on the forehead with his now-closed novel. Why was he so stupid? Why had he let her kiss him in the first place? He slumped over, dropping the book to the floor. Stupid Moony, stupid, stupid Moony.

A voice broke his thoughts: "Um, Professor?"

"Hmpf?"

"Why are you talking to yourself?"

Remus sat straight up, now finding himself under the astute stare of none other than Hermione Granger. "You heard that, did you?"

He prayed that his voice wasn't really as strained as it sounded to him.

The Gryffindor studied him. "Yes," she said, "although it was rather muffled."

"Well, that counts for something, at least," Remus said without an ounce of humor, picking up his book for what felt like the thousandth time that night.

The brunette pressed on. "Would you calling yourself stupid have anything at all to do with the fact that I just passed Tonks on the stairs, looking quite in pain from trying not to cry?"

Remus winced.

"I've been there, Professor," Hermione said, "more than I'd care to admit."

He smiled at her, but thinly so, and decided that now was not the time to discuss Hermione's past. "My stupidity directly correlates to Tonks crying," he sighed.

Hermione looked torn between asking him to explain and knowing when to leave well-enough alone.

"I can see you just dying to ask what the matter is," he told her. "Curiosity is not a sin, Hermione." He indicated the empty couch next to him.

"What happened then?" She sat.

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his ever-graying hair. "Do you know any stupid boys, Hermione?"

The girl laughed aloud, but stopped herself. "You've met my friends, haven't you, Professor?"

Remus smiled. "That's very true." He sighed. "Just keep in mind Hermione, not all kisses are supposed to happen."

He looked away so that he wouldn't see the girl's reaction, and then stood. "And if you'll excuse me, I am very much in need of rest."

"Good night, Professor," Hermione said, her voice sounding equally tired.

"It's Remus, Hermione," he said with a foot on the stair.

"Then, Remus?" she said, choosing her words carefully.

"Yes?"

"You should keep in mind that although Tonks may look tough, she really is sensitive. She was in Hufflepuff, you know."

"Go to bed, Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>(AN: Miss me?

Contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, nor have I abandoned this story. My interests in writing have been other places lately (Draco/Luna, Scorpius/Rose), but this story always keeps popping back up in my head. So, here you are. I know it's disappointingly short, but after a year, most of the plot to this has fallen out of my head. I'm going to fix it though! I'm mapping this one out, as well as _A Boy Who Will _and an unnamed Scorose that has been bugging me for months. Anyway. It's almost 5 AM.

Your feedback is much appreciated! All my love, - E.)


	8. That Green-Eyed Monster

Chapter Eight – That Green-Eyed Monster

The next morning found Tonks in the training room of the Auror office, blasting away at targets. _This is for being so cute! _She threw a strong Reducto curse at the target, annihilating it altogether. A pseudo-curse shot past her left ear, signaling an "attacker." She spun on her heel, brandishing her wand like a pirate's sword, and shot the last target with a powerful, "Depulso!" causing it to split in half.

"Auror Tonks!" Rufus Scrimgeour, head of the Auror Department, yelled from the doorway.

Panting for breath and covered in sweat, Tonks turned to face her boss, embarrassed. "Sorry, sir. I was just, um, working through some personal issues." She cursed inwardly, running a hand through her hair.

He gave her a suspicious look over the top of his glasses, his yellow eyes slightly unnerving. Leaning on his walking stick, Scrimgeour said, "I have someone I'd like you to meet, Ms. Tonks."

_I'm really not in the mood for this, _Tonks thought to herself. She had barely slept the night before, instead tossing and turning, trying to come up with a reason for Remus' behavior. She hadn't come up with anything, and her sleepless night had resulted in bags under her eyes. Swallowing her disinterest, she turned to Scrimgeour. "Yes, sir."

She followed him out of the training room, down the hall, and past a seemingly endless line of cubicles. Scrimgeour spoke to her over his shoulder as they walked. "Now, the person I'm going to introduce to you is looking to transfer into our department. I figured since you were our most recent trainee that you could give him a few tips on making it through the beginnings of our Auror program." He opened the door to his office, indicating she enter first.

Scrimgeou's office was a mess – not that Tonks cared, really, she had just pegged him for a neat freak. Unorganized masses of books and papers poured out of the bookshelves that lined the walls of the office, making it seem smaller than it actually was. There was a large board attached to the wall behind Scrimgeour's desk, peppered with push-pins of all different colors, indicating accident reports and various other things the Auror deparment was responsible for keeping track of. Tonks almost burst out laughing at the board of wanted posters that hovered beside the tack board. In the middle of the black and white pictures was a very large mug shot of Sirius, who, in the picture, was making all kinds of ridiculous faces.

_Typical, _Tonks smiled at the picture. _Always the prankster. _Unfortualtely for her, her boss's mess extended to the floor and she tripped over a large stack of books, sending various tomes on Wizarding law scattered across the floor. She landed on her side, smacking her head on the desk as she fell.

"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed, rubbing the spot where her head had hit the solid oak desk. "Sir, I'm not a neat freak or anything, but hadn't you better pick up some of these books?"

Scrimgeour, still at the door, looked torn between reprimanding her and laughing. He compromised with a small smile, telling her, "Not everyone is as clumsy as you are, Auror Tonks."

"Right," she said, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks.

"Do you always make such an entrance?" A cheeky voice asked from high above where she lay. Sitting upright, Tonks noticed that there was a man leaning on the edge of Scrimgeour's desk. Her face colored even more.

"It's become an increasingly bad habit," she told the man as she pulled herself out from under the books. He was young, couldn't have been more than a year or two older than she was, and yet he was completely unfamiliar to her. She had known almost everyone in her year at Hogwarts, even most of the people a year above and below her. He was definitely attractive, with his wide, easy smile and his blue eyes that had a glint of mischief behind them. His hair was closely cropped and very yellow-blond, much unlike some of her family. The mystery man was only a couple of inches taller than she was, and very tan, dressed like a Muggle businessman.

"This is Thomas Neilson. Mr. Neilson, this is Nymphadora Tonks, our most recently qualified Auror." Scrimgeour closed the door behind him, waving his wand at the books Tonks had knocked over as he made his way to his desk.

"Wotcher!" Tonks said, sticking out her hand. "Please, call me Tonks."

"It's nice to meet you," Neilson said. He spoke with an accent, but Tonks couldn't place it.

"Neilson here is an Auror trainee from the United States. He's looking to maybe transfer to England, should the circumstances permit." Scrimgeour sat down at his desk, stretching his legs before him. "I thought you could show him around while he's in town; help him to really get a feel of what it's like to be an English Auror. Merlin knows we need all the help we can get."

Tonks smiled. "Maybe later this evening we can head over to the Leaky Cauldron, but for now I think I ought to get back to work. Neilson, sir," she nodded to the American and then to her boss as she turned to leave.

"Tonks!" Scrimgeour called as she put her hand on the door. "I want you to take the rest of the day and show our friend around. You won't be penalized."

Neilson smiled, revealing his teeth to be very white and very straight.

"Oh!" Dora felt her face flush with color again. "Yes, sir, of course!"

Neilson came forward and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

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><p>Remus walked, his arms full of curtains, toward the Leaky Cauldron. Molly had come across a set of curtains that had been mostly eaten away by termite moths, creatures he hadn't even known existed. She had given him a twenty minute rundown on how, for the life of her, she could not figure out a way to repair the curtains. And so, rather than abandon her post overseeing the further purging of grime at Grimmauld Place, Molly had sent Remus to Diagon Alley to see about getting the curtains fixed. Madame Malkin had been able to set them right in only a few minutes time, so Remus was now heading back to the pub to get a drink before heading back to Grimmauld Place.<p>

It was trite business, really, but Remus was thankful for the excuse to leave the old house. He and Dumbledore had been talking about the possibility of Remus going out into communities of werewolves in an effort to sway their loyalty. Just the thought of being around other werewolves who believed what Purebloods said about "half-breeds" was enough to set his teeth on edge. But, if just one or two agreed to stand with the Order, then that was well worth the effort.

"Remus!"

The wizard in question looked up, searching for the source of his name. He spotted Nymphadora Tonks walking arm-in-arm with a blond man who looked like he'd stepped out of a novel. She rushed over to him, pulling the blond man with her.

"Tonks," Remus said, conflicted about seeing her. They hadn't exactly left things on good terms last night, and she had left that morning before he'd gotten the chance to apologize for his behavior. "Who's this?"

The girl smiled brightly at him. "Remus, this is Thomas Neilson. He's from the U.S., looking into England's Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Thomas, this is Remus Lupin. He's, um, a friend of the family."

The man, Neilson, offered Remus his hand. Looking at the bundle of curtains in his arms then at the blond wizard's hand, he said, "I'm terribly sorry – you must think I'm quite rude, but I have my hands full of recently repaired curtains that I dare not harm in any way."

Tonks laughed, knowing how obsessive Molly Weasley had become in regards to cleaning Headquarters. Neilson, however, just looked confused. "It's alright," he said finally, flashing his too-bright smile at Remus. "I can see that you're a bit tied up."

"Well," Tonks said, shifting from one foot to the other, "I guess I'll see you later, Remus. Thomas and I were just on our way to go grab some dinner down the street."

Remus nodded. "See you then. It was nice to meet you, Nelson."

"Neilson," the man corrected.

"Of course," Remus bowed his head slightly. As he walked away, heaving the old curtains along with him, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Tonks was in such close proximity to a man she barely knew.

* * *

><p>Tonks didn't return to Grimmauld Place for several more hours after her run-in with Remus. When she tumbled through the basement fireplace, almost everyone was occupied elsewhere, either cleaning or finishing up summer homework that had been left for a later date. Only Sirius, Remus, and Arthur Weasley still sat around the scrubbed wood fe of her, she could not figure out a way to repair the curtains. And so, rather than table, drinking tea and debating Quidditch.<p>

"Young lady! Do you know how worried we've been about you?" Sirius joked as she brushed soot off the front of her robes.

"Oh, hush you," Tonks said, sticking her tongue out affectionately at her cousin. "I was out with a friend."

"A friend?" Sirius inquired, his interest piqued. "Do tell, dear cousin."

"I think I'll pass," Tonks said, one foot already on the stairs. "Night, all!"

"Tonks!" Sirius yelled, but she ignored him, taking the stairs two at a time.

She heard footsteps behind her once she reached the first floor landing, and turned around to tell Sirius that who she spent her time with was none of his bloody business. Except Sirius wasn't the one who had followed her. Tonks now found herself almost face-to-face with Remus Lupin, a situation she had very much hoped to avoid. "Oh!" She gasped. "I thought you were Sirius."

"Hate to disappoint," Remus said. "I was just heading off to bed."

He walked past her toward the stairs to the second floor, but stopped just before he stepped on the bottom stair. "Who was the man, really?"

"I told you, Remus. Thomas Neilson, an American wanting to make a transfer to our department." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't."

"I don't believe you, Lupin."

"Have it your way, Nymphadora." He turned back to the stairs. "Goodnight."

She chewed her lip, watching him walk up the stairs, his body moving more stiffly with each step. "Remus, wait."

He stopped where he was, turning back toward her. "Yes?"

"I just… I just wanted to apologize for whatever it is that I've done to make you so angry with me," Tonks ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, I know I shouldn't have run out after that kiss the way I did, but –"

"Nymphadora," the older man stopped her as she spoke. "It's alright. The kiss… Just took us both by surprise. I'm not holding you to anything, though, so you're free to venture forward with whatever it is you've got going with your Mr. Neilson."

She laughed out loud, and then realized what she had done. Remus looked perplexed. "Oh, Merlin's beard, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just – do you really think there's something between Thomas and I?"

Remus didn't say anything, but stood his ground wearing a tight-lipped expression.

"Oh, Morgana! You do!" She laughed again. "You're jealous!"

"I am not jealous," Remus said calmly. "I was just informing you that Nelson, Neilson, whatever his name is, is probably a much better choice for you than I am. And now, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, Miss Tonks."

The girl stood there, completely confused by the exchange that had just occurred. A better choice?

* * *

><p>(AN: *Whew!* It's been a long time for this one. I am very sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Head over to my profile for a poll closely related to this story, and keep an eye out for another update soon! Reviews will help determine the fate of our new friend Neilson! Does he stay or does he go?

Love you all!)


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